On My Own
by darkshadowdragonavenge
Summary: Clint through his life before the Avengers with betrayals and such.
1. Chapter 1

****_Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or Barney, even though it would awesome if I did (not including Barney)_

**On My Own**

Chapter 1

Clint Barton was running away – again. The bullies wouldn't leave him alone. _At least they're too big to climb up a tree, _he thought. Clint liked being high up. He saw better from a distance- and was safer there too.

Later, Clint told Barney what had happened. "Clint, again?" He said incredulously looking at all the bruises his younger brother had acquired. "I can't fend for you all the time." Barney shook his head. "You have _got_ to learn how to defend yourself. Make a weapon or something. Actually," He hesitated. "You should have this, Clint." Barney handed his younger brother a knife. "I actually bought this for your birthday, you know. But there's no time like present I guess." Clint hugged his brother and gave him a toothy smile- and he looked like his age again- a five year old.

…

Ever since the Barton brothers' parents had died in a car crash over a year ago, the boys were stuck in an orphanage. No one cared about the brothers, as they were just more kids you would have to share your food and bedding with. At least, no one cared about them…positively. The moment Clint and Barney Barton walked in, they were targeted- namely Clint. Barney, being a good older brother, tried to take care of him, only to become friends with the bullies. Clint soon learned who to avoid, but still lacked in defending himself. The only way he could escape was being up high, at a distance. Clint felt free, and saw everything.

…

Clint had had enough. He was tired of the bullies chasing him, taking his food, and his dignity. But one day, the circus came to town. 'Carson's Amazing Circus', it was called.

…

Barney cared. He cared about his brother, and no matter how little patience he had with Clint, Barney cared. He even felt a little sorry for his little brother and wanted to help him. Personally, Barney was tired of the orphanage too. So Barney had a plan to escape.

…

_Sorry if this sucks- this is my first fan fiction. I'll try to update a lot before school starts! Please review- I would really appreciate it. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters_

_Hi peoples! Before I start, I want to give a special shout out to mudpie102 for giving me my first review! Also, some of you might be wondering where Coulson is, but I promise, he's coming later. For now, on with the story!_

_-darkshadowdragonavenge_

…

_Previously: So Barney made a plan to escape….._

Chapter 2

Barney and Clint were excited. Today was the day. If all went well, the Barton brothers' lives would change forever from being bullied and ignored to fun and excitement. "Here's the plan," Barney said. "When we go to the circus with the other kids, after the show we're going to ask to go to the bathroom, but actually hide in the tent, okay?" "Okay!" Clint chirped. He would follow his brother anywhere- they were that close to each other.

…

Everyone was amazed when they stepped into the circus tent. It was like they had entered an entirely new world. When the show began, there were acrobats swinging back and forth, performing seemingly impossible maneuvers, colorful and comical clowns, and amazing animals. Clint and Barney's grins seemed to stretch even wider as they caught each other's eyes and imperceptibly nodded. It was the right choice to run away with the circus. Then, the lights went dark and the children gasped. A spotlight flashed towards the middle, where the ringmaster, Carson stood. "And now, who you have all been waiting for… the Amazing Trickshot!" He boomed. The lights flashed back on, this time, with colors interweaving and revealing all of the circus men and women blocking the path to a tiny target board with their skills. Clint's eyes widened when he saw Trickshot. He was so far away from the board! It didn't help that along with the distance, the performers were juggling swords, the acrobats swinging back and forth, and a ring of fire in the midst of it all. The shot was impossible!

Suddenly, all the lights turned off again except for the ones lining the course. Clint held his breath as Trickshot drew his arrow. Then, he let go. Clint's eyes widened and saw as the arrow flew true through every obstacle…. And landed as a bulls-eye. He cheered, even louder than he had for the rest of the performers.

Clint was smiling even more than he had previously, if possible. He and Barney were so happy, especially because the circus performers were so interesting. Lost in his thoughts, Clint almost forgot about the plan, until Barney gave him the signal.

…

They had done it! The Barton brothers had finally escaped the disgusting orphanage, and were on the path to a painless and happy life… or so they thought. As the brothers hid in the tent, they looked around. They were in the props tent.

Suddenly, voices sounded, and the boys froze. The performers had come to put their props back! Clint and Barney hid desperately behind the boxes as the performers passed them.

Then, Clint sneezed, and the performers turned to look at the spot where the brothers had hid.

…

_Heehee- __ little cliffie there. I always wanted to write one of those. Don't worry, though. I'll update again tonight hopefully or tomorrow morning. Please review! I would really appreciate it- also, any ideas for what you want me to write about?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and I never will :'( _

_Hey everyone! I hope you guys like this so far! I'm trying really hard to update this ASAP so please excuse the incorrect grammar. Anyway, enjoy! For any of you interested people, I might make a FF with the Black Widow in it to, which takes place after this. What do you think? I'll make a poll later. :) Oh, and btw, sorry if the 'Barney and Clint' or 'Clint and Barney' order is annoying. Nevertheless, Hope u enjoy!_

_-darkshadowdragonavenge _

_..._

_ Previously: Then, Clint sneezed, and the performers turned to look at the spot where the brothers hid._

Chapter 3

Today was a year. One year since Barney and Clint had run away from the orphanage and left it for Carson's Circus. When the performers had found the brothers stowing away in the tent. Granted, none of them had been happy that the boys had stowed away- Carson especially. But, they were already behind schedule and the brothers had begged, explaining the poor conditions of the orphanage, and Carson let them stay. The only catch was that they would have to work, because Carson now had two children to feed and clothe- and illegally, too.

Today was also the day that Clint would try something he had been so scared of doing for the past year because of Trickshot's wrath- he wanted to try and use his bow. Sure, Swordsman (the name is self-explanatory) had taught him to throw knifes after discovering Clint had perfect shot, and the acrobats had shown him how to do gymnastics, but what Clint _really _wanted was to use a bow.

...

Barney Barton was jealous. Ever since he and his brother had come to the circus, everyone paid attention to _him._ At first, the performers didn't really care about both of them, but when they discovered Clint was escaping to the rafters, trying out the routines that he had seen the acrobats doing, and discovering him throwing knifes with perfect shot, no one cared about Barney. They all paid attention to him.

Barney wasn't alone. Months later, he discovered that many of the performers were jealous of the five year old. They were outraged that the small child had waltzed in and learned routines in days when it had taken them weeks to learn. Everyone but Carson.

Carson, initially tolerating the two, saw Clint as a way to potentially earn money in the future, but also saw him as a son. He generally cared for him more than Barney, because he was more effective than his older brother, taking a half an hour to do what took Barney half of the day. Also, Carson had a gut feeling that being in the circus had changed Barney for the worst, and at the same time, helped Clint.

...

Clint watched from the rafters as Trickshot practiced his archery- for the millionth time. After Trickshot had finished, Clint had a battle with himself of whether or not to ask Trickshot if he could show him how to fire an arrow. Clint had been watching closely, and thought it would be easy, but he was still scared about asking him. After Trickshot left, he saw Swordsman come in. "Still stalking, little hawk?" Using his nickname for the child. Swordsman had called him that after seeing him throw knives at the targets from the rafters and watching Trickshot during his daily practice. Swordsman was fatherly to Clint, aside from Carson, who chatted occasionally with him. He had taught Clint how to throw knives and was the only one that knew of his obsession.

"Still hanging in there, Swordsman," Clint replied as he jumped down from his little 'nest' to begin his daily lesson. Every week, Clint learned a new skill from all of the performers and added it to his daily regimen. "What are we doing today?" He queried. "Well," Swordsman replied, since it's the anniversary of when you snuck into the circus, we would learn something new." "What is it?" Clint said excitedly. Swordsman laughed at Clint's expression- the boy was almost like a puppy!"I thought that I should teach you how to use my signature weapon- the sword."

...

_I hope you guys like this so far! As you can probably see, I'm making them longer, so sorry if this has incorrect grammar or anything- just tell me about it and I'll fix it. Also, PLEASE REVIEW! I really don't know how I'm doing, and I really want to know what I can do to make it better or any ideas for what I could write about next._

_-darkshadowdragonavenge_


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